About 750 people in five Snohomish County communities came together on Saturday to learn from each other and celebrate their diverse cultures through dance, education and food.
This was the first year of the Diversity Celebrations series, sponsored by YMCA of Snohomish County in partnership with schools, cities and other organizations.
Organizers hope the “Taste of the World” gives residents a taste for making race relations work better.
“There’s a lot more of those kinds of conversations happening,” of which the Diversity Celebrations are just one part, said Jerry Beavers, CEO of the YMCA of Snohomish County.
“Do I think it makes a huge difference? Probably not as a snapshot of one day. But I do think it’s the beginning of a lot of things.”
Grass-roots groups and elected officials alike in recent months have been holding study circles, writing reports and making recommendations on ways to improve the cultural climate.
The movement comes after a string of high-profile, race-related crimes, including cross burnings, racial epithets and harassment charges in schools.
“The demographics of this county over the last 15 years … changed significantly. And it’s only going to change more,” said Kinuko Noborikawa of the Communities of Color Coalition. “We can’t close our eyes.”
The Communities of Color Coalition and activist J.J. Frank sponsored a series of public discussions in Arlington, Everett, Lynnwood and Monroe that were attended by a total of about 250 people.
They crafted recommendations for Everett and Snohomish County leaders, including cultural competency training for teachers, seeking diverse job candidates and a mentor program for young people of color interested in law enforcement.
A committee formed by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and a Lynnwood group are covering similar issues.
Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson’s 22-person diversity advisory committee also has come up with draft recommendations, including diversity training for police and an expo for minority business owners.
That group will make final recommendations by Nov. 1.
“My hope is that (with) very specific and concrete actions to make us more inclusive, we’ll see greater and greater participation,” Stephanson said as he visited the “Taste of Everett” celebration at the Everett YMCA on Saturday.
In Everett, the celebration drew a modest stream of about 100 visitors, offering a barbecue, a martial arts demonstration and a rap performance.
Kalpita Joshi, 14, a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, said she and others hope to advertise the event in schools next year to get more young people involved. They can have the greatest impact on cultural relations, said Kalpita, whose parents immigrated from India before she was born.
“At a young age, kids are more open to different ideas, and as they get older, they start to lose interest. So I think it’s very important to keep interest growing,” Kalpita said.
At the Southeast Family YMCA in south Everett, about 100 people turned out. Among the highlights was a ballroom dancing performance.
The Marysville YMCA, which the last four years has hosted a similar diversity event with the Marysville School District each spring, saw more than 200 people turn out to see Hawaiian, Indonesian and Middle Eastern dancers, along with a visit by a baby wallaby.
The Monroe Family YMCA’s celebration was held in the evening.
Students in Monroe Public Schools took fliers home, and organizers expected more than 200 people to show up. Activities included Spanish lessons, belly dancing and a Native American flute player.
In Mukilteo, about 150 people came to see Scottish and Irish dancers, among other things.
Events such as these help keep the conversation about race and culture going, said Rene DeLosSantos, the Mukilteo YMCA’s diversity representative.
“It’s our responsibility to keep it in the forefront. … We have to keep talking about it and keep moving forward.”
Organizers predict the Diversity Celebrations will get larger and more organized in coming years. “We’d like to see it become a signature event for our community,” said city of Everett spokeswoman Kate Reardon.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick contributed to this article.
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@heraldnet.com.
Get involved
To join the Communities of Color Coalition, or for more information about its recommendations, call 425-259-2827, ext. 33.
To join the Everett Advisory on Diversity Committee, or for more information, call Kate Reardon at 425-257-8687.
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